Food is any substance that is either eaten or drunk by any animal, including humans, for nutrition or pleasure. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and can contain essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
Food typically has its origin in a photosynthetic organism, such as a plant. Some food is obtained directly from plants, but even animals that are used as food sources are raised by feeding them food which is typically derived from plants.
In most cases, the plant or animal food source is fractionated into a variety of different portions, depending upon the purpose of the food. Often, certain portions of the plant, such as the seeds or fruits, are more highly prized by humans than others and these are selected for human consumption, while other less desirable portions, such as the stalks of grasses, are typically used for feeding animals.
Current plant-based meat substitutes have largely failed to cause a shift to a vegetarian diet. Meat substitute compositions are typically extruded soy/grain mixtures which largely fail to replicate the experience of cooking and eating meat. Common limitations of plant-based meat substitute products are a texture and mouth-feel that are more homogenous than that of equivalent meat products. Furthermore, as these products must largely be sold pre-cooked, with artificial flavors and aromas pre-incorporated, they fail to replicate the aromas, flavors, and other key features, such as texture and mouth-feel, associated with cooking or cooked meat. As a result, these products appeal largely to a limited consumer base that is already committed to vegetarianism/veganism, but have failed to appeal to the larger consumer segment accustomed to eating meat. It would be useful to have improved plant-based meat substitutes which better replicate the aromas and flavors of meat, particularly during and/or after cooking.